Portrait of five opium smokers arranged in a tableau with pipes and other impedimenta in a temporary studio by an unknown photographer taken in the early 1860s. Chandoo is a prepared extract of opium that was smoked in both India and China during the nineteenth century. Used for medicinal purposes, the opium industry was a government monopoly under the auspices of officials in Patna and Ghazipore. The main centre of production was Bihar. The opium manufactured at Patna was of two grades: Provision opium manufactured for export and Excise or Akbari opium intended for local consumption in India.
Source: British Library (bl.uk)